OSWEGO, NY (January 6, 2017) – Former Bud Light SBS Classic champion Cameron Rowe is reloading for the upcoming season at Oswego Speedway, looking to make a return to Turning Stone Resort Casino Victory Lane for the first time since 2012, driving an all new Gen 5 FFB Pathfinder Bank Small Block Super chassis.
A veteran of the SBS division, Rowe took time off from Oswego in 2015 to take on DIRT Sportsman racing before returning to the Steel Palace in 2016 with a former Jason Simmons Hedger Fabrication Chassis.
Unfortunately, the move did not yield the results Rowe expected last season, ending the year 11th in the standings with just one top ten finish.
Fast forward to this off-season, and Rowe has major plans ahead, starting with a ground up construction of a brand new FFB chassis at the hands of recent Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame inductee, Dan Dennie.
The FFB chassis has been a force to be reckoned with at Oswego for several years, dating back to its first track championship in 2008 with Kevin Knopp at the controls.
Since then the chassis has won five more titles with tenured drivers such as Dave Gruel, Mike Bond, and recently Dave Cliff, earning his second track title in an FFB ride just last season racing for Tim Barbeau.
While Rowe has not visited victory lane in several years, he knows the fast way around the Big O, and with assistance from the FFB crew, Rowe will no doubt make a return to top form in 2017.
His road to the top will not be an easy one however, as several track title combatants from a year ago will be back in ’17, led by defending champion Cliff.
Despite blowing an engine in last year’s Bud Light SBS Classic, Cliff and Barbeau will be back this season with the No. 50, looking to defend their championship. A third title for Cliff would put the Oswego driver in tall company as only Russ Brown and Mike Bond have won three or more Oswego SBS titles.
Mike Bruce finished third in the Oswego championship a year ago and has shown plans to return to Oswego this season in search of his first championship, also wheeling an FFB. Bruce had one main event win in 2016 and despite some mechanical issues during the year, the Bruce crew fought back to be in title position come August.
Seasoned SBS veteran Jack Patrick went to victory lane twice in 2016 and will no doubt be a top threat in 2017 driving the Hedger, MOPAR No. 9.
Fellow Hedger Fabrication racer and former series champion Kreig Heroth has also registered and looks to return to championship form in 2017 driving the No. 04.
Young standout Camden Proud made a run at a championship last season with the Step One Creative, Proud Chassis, No. 54. Nearing a college career soon, Proud is eyeing 2017 as his best shot yet for a championship at the Steel Palace.
Two-time 2016 feature winner Dalton Doyle as well as Jesse Bearup are also expected to be in the mix next season after finishing in the top ten in points one year ago.
Currently 2017 plans for shoes such as four time champion Mike Bond and Anthony Losurdo are in the air. While neither has indicated full-time plans for the coming season, it is expected that both will at least compete part-time this season.
Former champion Andrew Schartner may be back at the track more frequently in 2017, after taking a small break in 2016, wheeling for Crow Motorsports with the help of his father Karl Schartner.
A new driver is also entering the mix in 2017 as teenager Addison Bowman has registered the former Justin Connell SBS as No. 12 for 2017, looking to compete on a part-time basis near the end of the season. The former quarter midget racer has crewed for Proud in recent years.
Moving into its 26th year of competition, the Pathfinder Bank SBS division is expected to be as stout as ever with racers like Barry Kingsley, Greg O’Connor, Mark Castiglia, Cameron Black, James Babcock, Ray Sand Jr., Dennis Rupert, the Haynes Brothers and more continuing to join the fight.
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